Easter, road trips and things making me happy about long lazy weekends by Amy Andrews

Firstly - Happy Easter from me!

I'm on a road trip this weekend to visit my daughter who's moved almost 1000kms from home to mid western NSW - that's about 5 hours west of Sydney. It's a long drive but hey, I spent most of it in Scotland (well France, actually) with Jaime and Clare and other times I've just marvelled at my beautiful country. It made me feel happy and very very lucky!

I love the way the light falls on the land during different stages of the day in the vastness of the outback.

From early morning light -

To the bright light of full day.

I love windmills.

And grain silos. And road signs.

My hubby loves to snack on road trips while I try not to.... It took me 4 days to succumb to the bright napalm orange of the humble Twistie. But it didn't really feel like a road trip until I had been seduced by the intoxicating carbohydratic (yes, not a word) goodness.

We visited the zoo. These monkeys made me happy.

And this Galapogus tortoise made the romance writer in me thrill. Looks like we all love a little bit of petting, right?

And if that wasn't enough, this was my lunch view yesterday, lazing around under lovely shady trees listening to the drowsy hum of bees, eating cheese and drinking wine.

And my two travelling companions always make me happy. Tink and Wonder Woman - the soft and the hard of me.

How did you spend your Easter weekend? Was it lazy and indulgent like mine or was it a busy family affair?

Got anything making you happy at the moment?

The grapes are in!

with Barbara DeLeo

Pinot Noir ready to be picked

We’re coming to the end of a crazy busy time at Chez DeLeo — the closing days of the grape harvest. For the past fifteen years my DH, the winemaker, has brought in the grapes and cast his magic to turn them into wine. 

It’s a tough time. Long, stressful hours trying to coordinate the picking, the delivery, the pressing and fermentation of the grapes. It can be a big problem if there’s too much rain, or not enough, and there’s the annual challenge of pulling together a team of vintage workers from all corners of the globe.

Sauvignon blanc vines

DH's first job is to go around each block of grapes, taste a sample and decide when it should be picked. It's a different decision for each type of grape, each wine style he wants to produce, and each valley in the region. With two thousand acres of grapes in our region alone, that's a lot of snacking...

Our valley full of vines

Ours is a wine community with nearly everyone  involved in some way or other. The good thing about that is that we’re all in the same boat. No one holds parties during harvest, there are no school concerts scheduled and shops open at unusual times to cater for shift workers who are busy round the clock.

Some final product

It’s a beautiful, mad, creative, and in the end, hugely satisfying accomplishment; a little like writing a book I guess. I know the DH has a sense of pride in producing something that takes a lot of time, consideration and craft just as I do with my books.

Think of me at the end of harvest party tomorrow when we all get together to celebrate the end of another "vintage" and a job well done. It won't be a big night for me though - I have a book to finish. Maybe I'll have my own "book vintage" party then!

Have you visited a winery to see how it’s made or to taste the product? Or a chocolate factory perhaps?